Family Fun Does it Again!!

 

 This bright and cheerful magazine was in my mailbox today! Yay!

I've read Family Fun since 2003! I was first introduced to it by a co-worker who always had the cutest ideas. She let me in on her "secret weapon." I have binders full of articles and projects to try! Even though I don't have children, it still has come in handy planning activities for school and church! This magazine has saved the day and my sanity more than once!

 

The past year the magazine has really been incredible!

 

 Back in March, I was looking for a special treat to share with one of my classrooms! The fruit rainbow was a huge hit! Just last week a student asked when I was going to make the rainbow again!

The kids in Scrapbooking club loved making these lollipop flower for the spring showcase! A number of parents even made one!!!  Thinking of changing the pattern a little bit to make poinsettias for Christmas!

 

 This game was inspired by an advertisement featured in Family Fun!

 I wasn't surprised to find such a simple and brilliant idea in the September issue. I can be described as somewhat flighty. I pack nice lunches for myself, but they always seem to be left at home in the fridge. When I saw this cute reminder clip, I knew it was exactly what I needed to jog my memory on the way out the door.  With my trusty glue gun ,I attached a pack of Post-It notes to a laundry clip! Easy peesey!  When I'm done with it I can just take the top note off!! Brilliant!! I can't wait to use it tomorrow!

Thanks Family Fun!

PS: They have a GREAT website! Top notch

www.familyfun.com 

Quirks

One of my co-workers and I have a cooking club for elementary age kids. This week we made shells and cheese and hotdog sea monsters!  We don't have a stove at work, only an oven. Pasta is not meant to be boiled in an oven. Oh well! It was still tasty!

I am catching up on all the blogs that I read regularly! Elizabeth Kartchner had a fun post about quirks! Here are some of my quirks!

* I do not like canned corn

* I always have to sit on the end of a row!

* I iron with my left hand even though I am right handed!        (My mother is left handed)

* I do not like the words Phlegm, Panties, moist,and the name Peggy.

* I always gravitate to the right side of a room

* The sound of crunching ice drives me nuts!

What are your quirks?

Photos by Amanda McClain of Petite Productions

Shame on Walmart in Florence, Kentucky

I am a bargain shopper. In this day and age we are all looking for the best return on our money. To be honest Walmart does have good prices, it is not worth the rudness and general mistrust of customers by the staff.

I have had many unpleasant experiences at this store, and have now decided not to spend my hard earned money at this establishment any longer. I have decided to put my money where my mouth is and not shop at stores that treat me like a criminal.

Experience #1: I purchased a scrapbook from the craft section. I grabbed it quickly and did not pay much attention to the condition that it was in. After inspecting the item in my car, I went back into the store to return the item. I was hassled for 15 minutes by two employees about wanting to return an item that was clearly damaged. I was told, "How do we know you didn't damage the item yourself?". Pleasant Customer service staff is not available at this store.

Experience #2: I purchased a bra to go with a dress that I had at home. When I got home I realized that the bra would not be appropriate for that particular dress. So I brought the bra back to Walmart. I waited in line for 20 minutes in the returns department only to be told that I needed to get a ticket from an associate at the door. When walking into the store I was clearly caring a Walmart bag and was not stopped by any associate at the door. So I went to get the ticket and was given the ticket with no questions asked by the associate at the door. So I walk back to the returns area and waited another 10 minutes for service, I actually go up to the same woman who had originally told me to get the ticket. She looks at me and says, "They actually gave you a ticket? I wouldn't have. You could have gone into the store with a bag and then put the bra in there and are now trying to get money back for the bra." I told the lady, "I had the receipt right here!" This lady fought with me for 10 minutes about the bra. I was finally given my money back after asking for a manager and arguing with them for 5 minutes. I was very upset.

Experience #3:(Today 4/17/10) I normally park by the tire section because I am able to get a parking space close to the building. I do my shopping and head back to the tire section. It was before 9:00pm when that area usually closes it's doors. Anyway I try to go through the doors and they would not open. There was a cashier at the check-out who was helping a customer and I asked if he could open the door for me. He told me, "We are closed!" I asked again several times if he would open the door. Each time I was rudely told that they were "closed". If they were closed why was he cashing out some customers? I asked him one more time if he could please open the door for me. He said, "Do you have the number for Bentonville, AR , maybe they can help you? I was already in the store! They could have let me out!

These are only three of several more unacceptable experiences that I have had at this store. Customers are the bread and butter of business. If businesses continue to offer poor service and substandard products than they will no longer be in business. We as consumers need to stand up for our rights and no longer put up with crappy service. If we keep letting business get away with this behavior, things will not change.

Improv Everywhere! and a High Speed Car Chase

Been in a foul mood funk the past couple of days! So I was browsing Youtube videos and found this great group called "Improv Everywhere". They set up pranks around the country. Most of them are set in New York City. They are harmless and just plain funny! Thought I would share a few of my favorites!!!







While in college in the beautiful city of Boston, I was on a field trip with a group of elementary students downtown on the Freedom trail. As we were walking around a group of about 5 to 6 photographers jump out and start taking pictures of me! They keep calling me "Rachel". It was very funny! I kept smiling and laughing, and they kept taking pictures until our group leader told them to leave. I bet this was one of their early pranks.

Speaking of wild things. This morning I went to Krogers to pick up some cinnamon rolls and OJ. As I'm walking out I saw an orange car speed by on the main road. There were police cars chasing after the guy in the orange car. Well, I drove after them,but they must have gone on the highway because I lost site of them. That was a fun way to start your day!

Have a lovely day!

Off to the kite festival!

Things I Love and Hate Right Now

Things I'm Loving and Hating Right Now!

The Mentalist

A guilty pleasure kinda show!

Caramel Apple Cider

A favorite cool weather favorite

Blogs

Here are a few of my favorites. I read tons of blogs, but here are just a few!

Mayhem and Moxie

Ali Edwards

Elsie's Blog : What a creative little artist. I would love to visit her store.

Steve Fuller: Church Experiment: I forgive him for stealing my idea, because his insight is very entertaining. He is visitng 52 churches in 52 weeks. Wow! I wanted to have a similar blog called Cin Church ( Where I would go to churches in the Cincinnati area and talk about my experiences there to help newcomers to this area find a home church)

Made In Brooklyn: This is an awesome blog. The author is a stay-at-home Mom, baker, a devine crafter, sweet, former resident of Vermont, and former teacher. She also just happens to be married to the brother of one of my best friends from high school.

Lisa Bearnson : A super creative scrappin' mom. She is the founder of Creating Keepsakes Magazine.

Cakies : Creative Eye Candy

Beth and Susan Opel: Two super duper spunky crafters

This Man!

He is such a wonderful guy. A bit crazy and odd, but he is so caring and loving. He has done such a good job taking care of me while I'm sick. Yay! He even made me homemade mac and cheese for lunch. My first real solid meal since Friday! He cooks, he cleans, he is great with children. He gives great hugs. Back away ladies, he is all mine!

Things I Hate

The Inability to Move Pictures Around On My Blog.

I've had to do this entire blog backwards. Why can't I move my pictures around like I used to?

My Hair

It's stringy, limp, and out of control. I wish I knew how to style it.

Doctors pushing shots on you.

I am not the biggest fans of Drs. right now. Ok...I like Drs. I like that I am feeling so much better. I am glad that my strep infection is on the mend. What I don't like is being pushed to have a steroid shot. Excuse me, I am not an athlete. I've had more prescriptions for steroids in the past year than many pro-atheletes have. I'm sorry steroids do not work in helping me get better. The doctor (whom is not my regular doctor) pushed me to get a steroid injection. She told me I'd feel so much better. I refused. The doctor seemed insulted that I objected. Excuse me, its my body. If I don't want a shot, I'm not getting one. Thanks! Plus after taking one dose of antibiotics and an hour long nap, I felt soooooooo much better. So phooey on you!

Bad Customer Service/ Not Getting What I order.

I went to college for Hospitality/Tourism, so I have very little tolerance for unexceptable service. Food establishments seem to be the biggest offenders. The one bright spot in the fast food industry has to be Chick-Fil-A. I have had nothing but amazing experiences with that compnay. The workers are clean-cut, they have a smile on their face, my food order is always correct, the resturants are clean, and the staff actually cares! Well done Chick-Fil-A.

I will spare you with my extensive list of unexceptable service...cough..cough...cough AOL.

Have a lovely evening!

:D

Emily

Magazines

I am an active reader of many magazines. Lately, I have noticed that many of the magazines that I read are going out of print. So sad. Here is a list of my favorites who have called it quits

This magazine was amazing. The photography was super. It was almost Martha Stewart like, but for normal people. I was so sad to see it go.
This one closed shop just as I was really getting into digital scrapbooking.

I loved the style of this magazine. The scrapbook layouts that were published were very simple and easy to scrap-lift.

This one I will really miss. I love the articles in the magazine. They were so appropriate to where I am as a Christian woman. A couple months again they did a special section on living up to the "Perfection Proception". Great. TCW is morfing into an online magazine called Kyria. While I'm looking forward to continue reading articles by many of the same contributors as TCW, I don't think I'll get the same satisfaction as cuddling up on the couch with a cup of something nice to drink and a good magazine.

I'm also sad to see this one go. The head offices of this magazine is in Cincinnati. I liked that. I loved the digital scrapbooking downloads they offered. For a while they had a series of articles by the artist/author Sandra Magsamen.

Magazines I hope don't decide to close their doors!

How do you feel about magazines. What ones do you read? Let me know!

Shame Shame Target and Reality Tuesday Coffeehouse Rocks!

I was not pleased with my experience at the Target store in Florence last Sunday. I normally print my pictures at Kroger or Sam's Club. Yet, the photo machine at Sam's club was down. So I sent my pictures to Target. Here is my beef about Target.

1. I walked to the photo counter and there was nobody there.

2. I made eye contact with 7 store employees and nobody came to see if I needed help.

3. I waited for 5 minutes at the counter. Then I called Target on my cellphone to ask for help. It took another 5 minutes for someone to finally come over.

4. While the person did arrive, they didn't even seem like they knew I was there. She talked to the older couple who was working on the photo machine, but the associate just walked right past me and started working on something behind the counter.

5. I said, "Hello" twice. No response.

6. Finally I had to say "EXCUSE ME, MAY I PLEASE HAVE MY PICTURES?"

7. Then the associate said, "Oh...I didn't see you there!" (OK I am not a small person, it's kinda hard to miss me!...anyway)

8. I was overcharged. I was suppose to receive my 4X6 free.

9. The photo paper used was very thin and cheesy!

So I will NEVER use Target Photo again!

I have very little patience for bad customer service. Don't even get me going on the customer service at the Indy Children's Museum. Hmmmmmmm... :P

This creepy bird was in this creepy tree! I thought it looked very cool!

I love magnolias! So beautiful! The smell was incredible!

These beautiful are on the corner by our place!

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! Reality Tuesday is our new favorite spot to hang out!

I drive by this place everyday on the way to work! I usually in such a hurry to get to work so I've never stopped. Michael and I were driving by it this evening and I told him that I wanted to check it out! I am so glad we did!

I had a large Grasshopper Smoothie. It's heaven in a cup! Yummy chocolate, oreo cookies, and mint! Yummy! Michael had a caramel smoothie! Loved the straws! They were really big. Just perfect. Nothing got stuck in them :D We shared a HUGE piece of oreo cheese cake! Heavinly :D

The decor was a bit kitchyand fun. It reminds me of a large comfty kitchen. There were lots of missmatched tables and chairs. I sat in a large stuffed living room chair. Calming lighting. Nice big windows that let in the evening sun!Awwwww relaxation!

Loved this place! They have live music there. They serve fairtrade coffee! The staff is soooo friendly. They support local artist! Love, Love,Love this place! They also do custom order cakes!

We will be back soon!!!!

I have been wanting this book for a while! Wow! The project in this book are awesome! Very inspiring :D

Guess what! A new part of my job is the official photographer! Yahoo! So I get to go to all the schools take pictures, interview teachers about what is happening and help with the website. I also get to blog about what is happening at the schools! How awsome!! I get to blog,take pictures, read fabulous children's books, dress in crazy costumes, and write. I do have my dream job!

10 things I'm Into Right Now

1. I am lovin' this Vitamin water! I know its basically sugar water! Love the pretty colors love the flavors! I love the orange, lemon, and fruit punch! 2. Degrassi High. Yes....the Original Degrassi. I watched this show every afternoon in Middle School. I sat down yesterday and actually watched the entire "Schools Out" movie online! I had never seen it before! It was scandalous! Well....as scandalous as they got in the early 90s.

I think it is hilarious that they have Degrassi: The Next Generation. Toooo funnnny! Yet, I kinda like seeing the characters from the orginal series show up from time to time. I actually caught Michael watching an episode yesterday :D

I would lovvvvvvvvve to have the whole series on DVD. I'll be checking Ebay :D

3. The Favorite Wife: Escape from Poligamy

A good read so far.

4. These super-cute re-usable cold-cups from Starbucks! Might splurge on one for

my birthday

5. Michael and I watched this yesturday afternoon! Soooooo good! Should have received more awards than it did!

6. Country Living Magazine.

They always make the July issue soooooooo cute so that I will subscribe again. The January and March issues were kinda boring. Yet, the July issue hit it out of the park again. I love all the funky home decorating ideas. I love the antiques. I love all the Americana stuff! Those Mini-pies look soooooooo cute!

7. Michael and I saw this movie last weekend! Very funny and touching!

8. Raspberries! I'm eating some right now!

9. Zee Avi. I am just loving her music right now! Her "Bitter Heart" song is sooooo catchy! Check out her offical site here.

10. Louisville. Michael and I took a little Day Trip here! We didn't get to see much of the city, but I am looking forward to exploring more soon!

I was going through my old e-mail and I found this article that I was sent to me back in 2003! I never opened the e-mail! It was from back when I worked at a High School! Man, I miss those days alot :D Reading this article cheered me up! It reminded me of all the fun and whimsey I had while working with High Schoolers! It reminds me that I need to get back to being the person I was back then. I've become quiet and introverted. While that silly, creative, and caring person is on the inside not much is coming out!

National Donut Day
By Ashley Luneau
Daily News
The day may have started out like any other Wednesday in November. You wake up at 6:30, get dressed, make your bed, drive to school, and go to your locker. Well, this morning was different. Student's entering the main floor of Streeter Hall were greeted by Miss Whitehill yielding a box of Mini Donuts. With her usual smile and good cheer she offered up complementary donuts!
According to Miss Whitehill, November 5th is "National Donut Day"! When asked why she decided to celebrate this unique holiday she responded with, "Everyday is a day to celebrate! Why not celebrate a silly holiday?"
I talked to several students about today's events. Junior Tyler C. commented, "Miss Whitehill is always up to something fun. I work at Dunkin' Donuts, I thought I could help out!" Junior Tim L.told me, " Today was a good day to celebrate! I didn't eat breakfast this morning, it was good to have a snack when I got to school."
I asked Miss Whitehill where she found out about "National Donut Day". I was surprised to learn that she got the information off a website for preschool teachers. She noted that yesterday was "Peanut Butter Lover's Day" and tomorrow is "I LOVE NACHOS DAY"
"National Donut Day" was not the first silly holiday that Miss Whitehill has celebrated here at the Academy. She sites "National Crazy Day" that coincidentally coincided with the LI Weekend festivities and "National Flower Day" as among her favorites so far, with more to come during the year.
" I love to make people smile."

Happy Sunday, Getting a new computer, and my favorite site of the week!

The weekend has been a good one. I am always sad to see them go. The next two weekends will be a flurry of activity. Next Friday I am helping with the "Parent's Night Out" at work. On Saturday I am taking pictures of the women's ministry event. On Sunday, we are having some people from our small group over for brunch before church! Sooooooo...That should be nice :D :D :D :D The weekend after my Mom and Dad will be in town! Yahoo!!!

We finally purchased the new computer. After saving money since November it was really nice to finally get what we wanted. Our old computer wasn't horrible, it just had this terrible habit of doing "BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH". There was a lot of drama to getting the computer. It was not as simple as I thought it was going to be. Michael had done some research online about computers and we found one at Sam's Club a few weeks ago that we really liked. So anyway, on Friday night he popped over to Sam's club just to make sure that was the computer we really wanted. When we got there it was SOLD OUT! So Michael did some more research online and found a DELL desktop that he liked that was also sold at Sam's club. So on Saturday we headed back to Sam's club to get the DELL. Guess what...no Dell computer either. By this time I was fed up. So we go back home and Michael does some more research and he finds a great package at Best Buy. We go back towards Best Buy. We talk with one sales lady about the package and we load it up. We head the cashier and they told us it was another price. MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE.Back to the computer area we talk to another sales person and he tells us a cheaper price than the 1st salesperson. Crazy! So we head back to the cashier and tell them that such and such a salesperson told us we could have it for the cheapest price. So a swing of $70 to $100 makes quite a bit of differnce. It makes a difference who you talk to at the store.

So we ended up with a very nice Gateway with a very nice, very wide monitor. I am very excited. It has a movie making program on it that I can't wait to use :D :D :D

Here are the $1 coins we have been saving since November! Thats a lot of coinage :D

Michael playing a stupid computer game!

After church we went to Borders. Michael wanted some computer magazine and I, well I had to slip in a scrapbook magazine as well! It is really fabulous. I've only browsed it so far, but wow tons of fun! I am so sad to see Simple Scrapbooks going away. I hate when magazines have to close. Hallmark magazine, which was another of my favorites is not longer going to be published. Hopefully someday when the economy changes Simple Scrapbooks and Hallmark Magazine can return.

MY FAVORITE SITE OF THE WEEK

The Par-tea planner

This site has tons of pretties! Check out the photo gallery. Princess Devon's Tea Party Birthday is an out of this WORLD party. So beautiful!!!